I've always believed
by MoonChildTM
Summary: Short one shot that follows Digimon Adventure Tri. Takeru brings Hikari back from the darkness.


"Oni-chan," The quiet words tumbled out of her mouth as she continued to stare at the spot where his goggles had laid. I had been standing beside her as we witnessed the horror before us. I stepped in front of her and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"Hikari, we need to keep moving," I gently pleaded with her. Unshed tears were stuck in her eyes as I tried to hold my own back. He couldn't be gone, I couldn't believe that, not here. I had to have faith.

"You have your Oni-san, I'm – I'm all alone," She wouldn't look at me when she spoke, I tried to meet her gaze but she turned away.

"You are _never_ alone, look around you, look in front of you! _I_ would never leave you alone. We are going to get through this just as we always have, because we have our friends and our partners," Since she wouldn't look at me I just pulled her to my chest and held her as I spoke. Pleading with my words hoping to bring her away from the darkness that was creeping inside of her.

It wasn't fair that her light was so easily corrupted, the most innocent of us always having her body used as a vessel, always having intruders. I had to stop my own anger from rising, it would only help the darkness surrounding us grow. I had to be strong now.

"Hika-" I heard Sora start to call for her but she was cut off. Probably Yamato, leaving this to me.

"It wants me Takeru," I pulled her back from me so I could look at her, her eyes looked dead, like she was in some sort of a trance and her voice didn't seem her own just then.

"Look at me," I shook her a bit, "Look at me!" I shouted at her the second time, trying to pull her back from whatever was infecting her head. "Hikari, you can't let it win, you have to fight it. I'm right here in front of you, I'm real, and whatever is trying to get into your head isn't. You can't let it in, you can't let it corrupt your thoughts, your feelings. We need you, _I_ need you-" I let myself get carried away and stopped myself before things got too personal, but it was too late. She blinked and looked at me, really looked at me for the first time since I had been trying to snap her out of it.

"What?" She questioned.

"We need you," I whispered looking down.

"No, af-AHHH," She fell to her knees pulling me with her. She held her head in pain, it was trying to get back in.

I pulled her hands from her head and took them into my own. She looked up at me, it was like she was half there, trying to fight it. "I need you," I said firmly this time.

Tears escaped her eyes, there was doubt in them and I couldn't let her have any doubt, she needed faith.

I tried to forget that everyone was surrounding us and I tried to forget that I had never done this before. I didn't know what else to say so I didn't talk. I let go of her hands and brought mine up to her face, I wiped the tears from her cheeks and then pulled her to me.

I kissed her softly, just for a moment, I pulled away and searched her eyes for a sign that she was here with me.

She was, her eyes were fully her own, her face was flushed. I smiled sadly, happy she was back but still so worried about what took her there.

"You just -" She started to speak but stopped looking up at me for an answer.

I sighed, deciding to let go and put everything out there, "We are all a team and we were all destined for this, but us – _we_ are destined. You and me. I've always believed that. There is no hope without the light, and there can't be any light if you don't have hope. We build each other up. We protect each other, we _always_ have, and I will always be here for you. You can't just believe he's gone when everything in this world has the ability to regenerate, there is still hope, and as long as I'm here I'll keep it for you."

I wiped away fresh tears from her eyes, she nodded to me and started to pull herself up, I brought her to me once we were standing and held her tight.

"I believe that too, you and me," She said softly against my chest.

I smiled in spite of the larger situation in front of us, but I truly believed that if we had each other we could do anything. We would get him back.

"You ready?" I questioned pulling back from her.

"Mmhmm," she responded.

We turned back to the group, and a half dozen shocked faces, and reality of what I had just done set in. "Er um, Lets go," I said in a horribly unconfident manner.

"Wait no _way_ , this is better than the movies. I think we have a few more minutes, please continue," Mimi teased us from afar and I felt my face get hot.

"Mimi!" Shouted everyone except for Joe.

"I mean I kind of agree with her," He muttered just loud enough for us to hear.

Hikari laughed then, loud, full belly. We looked to her and I was almost afraid she was losing it agin.

"Joe, looking for tips for your _girlfriend_ ," Hikari joked, I knew we had her back then. We all laughed with her for a moment. Yamato brought us out and back to reality

"We done with the drama? We have a battle to win," Matt said, firmly while still teasing us both.

We nodded to him, "We will bring him back," I said to her as I took her hand into my own. She nodded back to me with a look of determination on her face.

Maybe Taichi was with the others now, and maybe we could save them too.


End file.
